Overview

Nitroglycerin (nye-tro-GLIH-cer-in) is a pale yellow oily flammable liquid that is highly explosive. It is used primarily as an explosive by itself and as an ingredient in dynamite. Nitroglycerin also finds application in medicine as a vasodilator, a substance that causes blood vessels to relax and open up, allowing blood to flow more freely through them.

Key Facts

Other Names:

Trinitroglycerol; trinitroglycerin; glyceryl trinitrate

Formula:

CH₂NO₂CHNOCH₂NO₂

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen

Compound Type:

Ester (organic)

State:

Liquid

Molecular Weight:

227.09 g/mol

Melting Point:

13.5°C (56.3°F)

Boiling Point:

Explodes at 218°C 424°F)

Solubility:

Slightly soluble in water; soluble in ethyl alcohol, acetone, and benzene

Nitroglycerin was first developed in 1847 by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero (1812–1888). Sobrero used a method of synthesis that is still the primary means of producing nitroglycerin today. He added nitric acid to glycerol, then and now a popular skin lotion, with...